After listening to Xiao Ning's voice, Xi Yian's body froze, and she raised her head. A shock appeared in her eyes as she saw the figure floating in the air with a pair of golden wings behind his back.
A ray of hope arose in Xi Yian's heart, but after remembering the strength of her abductors, she yelled, "Xiao Ning, run!" Tears swelled in her eyes as she shouted.
Xiao Ning's heart ached as Xi Yian's voice full of despair reached his ears; yet, he stood calmly. It was impossible for him to leave her and escape.
'At least, I need to get Xi Yian out of harm's way,' Xiao Ning silently decided in his heart. What future? What Dou God? Nothing mattered at this moment.
'It seems, today, it would be difficult for me to leave this place,' a thought arose in his mind. The next second, Xiao Ning shook his head, grinned, and muttered, " What do I have to be afraid about? If I die, I will take them down with me."
.....
While Xiao Ning stood still, many figures flashed from the forest and circled him fearing that Xiao Ning might escape.
How could they have known that Xiao Ning was determined to fight till his last breath!
"Twenty people, huh!" Xiao Ning coldly looked at the people below him. Of course, he knew that they couldn't hurt him, and he waited for the real culprit to appear.
There were only a handful of groups in the empire capable enough. Xiao Ning wondered which one he offended.
Suddenly, the people on the ground covered themselves in dou qi armor, and a murderous aura enveloped the surroundings. Their dou qi riled up, and one after another, they attacked Xiao Ning, who stood in the air.
Xiao Ning stood with his hands crossed; a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes. He understood that the real culprit used twenty Dou Grandmasters as cannon fodder to test him.
Under his robes, Xiao Ning's skin turned golden, and he chose to harden their attacks with his body. He didn't even release his Dou Qi armor.
'Boom!' Various attacks hit Xiao Ning at the same time.
"Is he dead?" Asked one of the attackers.
"He should be seriously injured if not dead," another spoke.
The twenty Dou Grandmasters did not know that the forces behind them had long treated them as cannon fodders. So, they didn't inform them about Xiao Ning's abilities.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have stood here leisurely and waited for death.
...
The smoke cleared, and Xiao Ning's figure became visible. His upper robe was in tatters, and beneath them, his golden skin appeared in sight.
"Impossible!" After seeing Xiao Ning unscathed, a look of shock appeared in their eyes, and one of them blurted.
The next second, their faces turned solemn. None among twenty Dou Grandmasters was an idiot. They instantly understood their employer's intentions and cursed him.
A Dou Grandmaster had his pride; how could he be willing to be treated as cannon fodder?
They looked at one another and understood each other's intentions.
Xiao Ning was unaware of their thought process; a golden light flashed in his eyes, and a bloodthirsty aura surrounded his body.
"I have been in a very bad mood lately; I will let myself loose," Xiao Ning muttered. The next moment a green-golden dou qi enveloped his body.
The golden dou qi rapidly condensed behind him. Soon a golden figure with a blurred face appeared behind Xiao Ning.
'Myriad Budha Hands!' Xiao Ning raised his hands, clenched his fist, and punched out. The golden figure behind him copied his actions. Two golden fists tore through the air and smashed the people into a pool of flesh and blood.
The group of Dou Grandmasters looked at golden fists with horror in their eyes. They tried to resist Xiao Ning's attack but failed terribly.
Xiao Ning's nonstop 'Myriad Budha Hands!' annihilated everything in its path. Soon, the painful screams stopped, and pieces of corpses were scattered all around.
The forest around them him turned into a bloodstained battlefield. Even though it was a one-sided massacre, Xiao Ning didn't seem happy.
Not only that, the anger in his heart rose; instead of decreasing. He didn't think much and flew down towards Xi Yian.
...
Xiao Ning stood in front of Xi Yian; he looked at her haggard face and spoke softly, "I am here; leave the rest to me."
Xi Yian's heart warmed after seeing his anxious face; yet, at the same time, she became more worried about him. "Ning...."
"Clap, Clap, Clap!" Before she could continue, the duo heard a clapping sound from the other side of the forest.
Listening to this sound, Xi Yian became more anxious. Her eyes were fixed on Xiao Ning's figure, and her lovely face showed a stubborn expression.
'No more!' Xi Yian thought in her mind and took a decision.
...
"Wonderful! Truly remarkable, but what a pity!" A hoarse voice sounded from the other side of the forest, and soon a black-clothed figure appeared in front of Xiao Ning and Xi Yian.
"The stronger you are, the more I want to kill you," The man continued in his hoarse voice.
Xiao Ning vigilantly looked at him. His instincts told Xiao Ning if he attacked the man in front of him, he would die for sure.
'This man is a Dou King,' Xiao Ning thought in his mind. His face turned solemn.
"Who are you? Why kill me?" Xiao Ning questioned the man. He was not hopeful about the answer. He did it only to buy some time to let Xi Yian escape.
"You want to delay time?" The man asked back sarcastically.
Xiao Ning did not answer. Obviously, he couldn't hide his intention from the latter.
...
On the other side!
As Xiao Ning left the city, the person following him rushed back to the alchemist association and informed Ao Tuo.
Ao Tuo's face turned black and he couldn't help but curse Xiao Ning a few times. He quickly ordered, "Go and support him."
Ao Tuo found out the culprit behind everything and he wanted to convince Xiao Ning to escape. Yet, who could have guessed that before he could talk to Xiao Ning, the latter walked right into the trap.
"Misty Cloud Sect," Ao Tuo gritted his teeth and spoke out coldly. His eyes showed unprecedented killing intent.
Yes, everything was the ghost of Misty Cloud Sect.